Temporal Variation in Stable Isotopic Composition of Rainfall and Groundwater in a Tropical Dry Forest in the Northeastern Caribbean

Earth Interactions

Y.Govender¹ 

关键词: Rainwater isotopic analysis;    Groundwater dynamics;    Puerto Rico;    Guánica Dry Forest;   

DOI  :  10.1175/2013EI000534.1

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

来源: American Geophysical Union

【 摘 要 】

AbstractKarst topography links rainfall to groundwater recharge; therefore, possible changes in the hydrology can play an important role in ecosystem function especially in tropical dry forests where water is the most limiting resource. This study investigates the temporal variation in isotopic composition (δ18O and δD values) of rainwater and groundwater in the Guánica Dry Forest of southwestern Puerto Rico. The study not only establishes a dataset of oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of rainwater to assist in local ecohydrological studies but also establishes the origin of rainfall in the semiarid region of the island. The geographical position of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean causes the study site to receive marine air masses from the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. This research documents the monthly to annual variability in stable isotopic composition of rainwater and estimates the source of groundwater recharge in the Guánica Dry Forest.To calculate the local meteoric wate...

【 授权许可】

Unknown